Nearly a year and a half after the murder of Breonna Taylor, so much in our world has changed, and yet much has remained the same. As we continue to reckon with race in our country, and navigate a just and equitable recovery from the pandemic, we must also consider the role of real estate and community development. CREW DC, Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND) and are pleased to present The Guarded Gate: Remembering Breonna & the Role of Race, Gender and Real Estate in Creating More Equitable Communities. This session is designed to inspire, empower and challenge all of us who are engaged in the movement to create safe, equitable, and inclusive environments. The opening presentation will ground our discussion with a history of gatekeeping and how it has impacted Black women and families. A dynamic panel discussion will follow, featuring industry leaders representing real estate development, property management, financial intermediaries and community engagement. Join us as we examine the systems and policies that got us here, and consider how each of us can work to dismantle inequities from where we sit.

Industry Practitioners

Crystal Lynese Walker Founder & Principal Consultant  Crystal Clear Consulting (Keynote Speaker)	Kia Weatherspoon Founder & President  Determined by Design (Moderator)	Donovan Duncan Executive Vice President Urban Strategies, Inc.
Tiffany Durr Senior Director Strategic Investments  Local Initiatives Support Corporation	Stacy Spann President and CEO MidCity	Stephanie Williams President  Bozzuto Management Company

Registration fees: This event has a complimentary discount code for HAND members: HAND2021; Non-Member Fee: $25. 

Calling all property owners and developers! HAND is pleased to host An Introduction to RAD for PRAC: Converting 202s into Section 8. This informative session will provide insight into the RAD conversion of affordable housing for the elderly supported by eligible Section 202 Project Rental Assistance Contracts (PRACs) to either Project-based vouchers (PBVs) or Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA). Learn how the option to convert PRACs under RAD provides an opportunity to recapitalize aging Section 202 PRAC properties while protecting residents, maintaining non-profit control, and extending the affordability period. This session will also feature lessons learned from recently closed RAD for PRAC transactions.

Industry Practitioners

Daniel Ehrenberg Attorney  Klein Hornig LLP	Paige Gentry Senior Associate  Klein Hornig LLP	Lee Goldstein Director, National Housing Development Volunteers of America
Vicki Longosz Senior Associate  HUD’s Office of General Counsel	Stephanie Rhodes Project Leader, Development and Construction National Church Residences	Eric Walker Vice President of Affordable Housing  National Church Residences

Registration fees: Free to current HAND Members; Non-Member Fee: $75.

State and local governments in the DMV have set ambitious goals to eliminate carbon emissions in the next several decades.  Achieving these goals will require decarbonizing existing buildings by eliminating fossil fuel use. Join us on September 29 for Decarbonizing Affordable Housing: Challenges and Opportunities.

Decarbonizing the affordable housing stock must be done in a way that considers the challenges uniquely experienced by affordable housing building owners. Failure to address these challenges will limit building decarbonization to better-resourced buildings, increase the costs of operating affordable housing, and deny the health benefits of building decarbonization to low-income communities.

This informative program will provide an overview of the benefits of building decarbonization, identify the resources, support, and targeted investment that affordable housing owners will need to decarbonize their buildings and explore opportunities to align energy and housing policies in support of decarbonizing affordable housing. 

Industry Practitioners

Michael Feldman-Wiencek Green Building + Housing Affordability Program Analyst DOEE	Cristina Garcia Assistant Director Building Electrification Institute	Michael Hindle Owner & Principal Passive to Positive	Joseph Knackstedt Project Manager DC DHCD
Jared Lang Senior Project Manager Wesley Housing	Christina McPike Director, Energy & Sustainability WinnCompanies	Todd Nedwick Senior Director of Sustainability Policy National Housing Trust	David Smedick Senior Campaign Representative for the Beyond Coal Campaign Sierra Club

Registration fees: Free to current HAND Members; Non-Member Fee: $75.

Are you a new HAND member who wants to learn how to maximize your membership? Or maybe a longtime member who needs a refresher on membership benefits? If you answered “yes,” to either of those questions, we’re here to help! Join us for our next Quarterly Member Power Hour, where you can learn all about HAND’s offerings, the best way for you and your team to plug in, and connect with other members. All members are welcome! If you have any questions you’d like for us to cover specifically, please email them to Courtney Battle at cbattle@handhousing.org. We look forward to you joining us!

Registration fees: This event is free.

Seizing the Narrative on Housing Justice
How can housing and community development networks seize this powerful moment to drive new narratives for our movement? Learn about initiatives on both coasts during this discussion oriented session. The Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND) launched the Housing Indicator Tool to keep jurisdictions accountable to housing benchmarks set for the region in an Urban Institute report. They have used this tool to make significant changes in the way elected officials and the media address the region’s housing shortage. The Shift the Bay campaign uses research-driven and field-practiced strategies to advance housing and racial justice. Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California is a lead partner in this cross-sector collaboration.

Objective of panel:  Share strategic communications strategies, tools and resources that have been utilized to drive the narrative, elevate resident voices, change practices and institute new policies toward housing and racial justice. To view the full conference agenda and register to attend, visit the website here: http://resilientcommunitiesforum.org

Registration fees: This is not a HAND event. 

As the nation continues to navigate the impacts of an ongoing pandemic, limited housing supply and an ever-growing population, innovative approaches for addressing housing affordability are more important than ever. Staying on top of trends in housing finance is critical for professionals seeking to expand their toolkit of strategies for maneuvering through various transactions. Join us on November 9 for Bonds and Tax Credits 201: Cutting Edge Debt Executions and Case Studies in the DMV. This informative session will provide guests with the latest debt market update and cover key topics including volume cap scarcity and the possible impact of the 50% test reduction. Additionally you will get a front row-seat to case studies on current debt executions in the region including: 

• Risk Share (including FFB)
• Fannie Immediate and Forward MTEB
• Short Term Cash Backed Bonds
• Freddie TEL

Industry Practitioners

Emily Cadik Executive Director Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition	Ed Delany Senior Director – Community Finance  Capital One	Allison King, Esq. Partner  Tiber Hudson
Steve Napolitano Senior Vice President Equity Production Boston Financial  Investment Management	Kent Neumann, Esq.  Founding Member  Tiber Hudson	Thomas Pereira Senior Vice President Institutional Sales  Boston Financial Investment Management

Registration fees: Free to current HAND Members; Non-Member Fee: $75.

In June 2021, as part of her economic development platform launch, County Executive Alsobrooks set a goal for producing 26,000 new housing units – 75% of which would be affordable to households with income below 120% of AMI; preserving 6,000 existing affordable units; and increasing the number of new multifamily construction starts by 10,400. In an effort to highlight this goal, Prince George’s County will be hosting several events throughout November, including three policy panels. We invite you to join us for part two of the series, Housing as a Racial & Social Justice Issue! 

This session will feature a briefing on HAND’s engagement with housing equity issues, a dynamic panel discussion on housing as a racial and social justice issue for Prince George’s County stakeholders, and perspective from Prince George’s County leadership. Guests can expect to hear from a diverse slate of industry leaders and county officials who are invested in creating more equitable outcomes across the jurisdiction.

Industry Practitioners

Alicia Cotton-Doney Managing Director Greystone	Tiffany Durr Senior Director  Strategic Investments  Local Initiatives Support Corporation	Tim Martin Chief Credit Officer Enterprise Community Loan Fund

Heather Raspberry Executive Director HAND	Denise Robinson Assistant Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Economic Development Office of the County Executive Prince George’s County	Angie Rodgers Deputy Chief Administrative Officer for Economic Development Office of the County Executive Prince George’s County	LaToya Thomas Housing Indicator Tool Policy Director HAND

Registration fees: Registration is free for all guests.

One major area where health inequities still exist in the workplace is in employer-sponsored health benefits plan design. Traditional insurance plans—premiums, copayments, deductibles and coinsurance—frequently create barriers to care. They can also exacerbate inequities in healthcare by inhibiting the use of services – such as primary care – that benefit health and wellbeing. HAND is pleased to partner with The Center for Nonprofit Advancement, VitalHealth and The Capital Group to announce a special opportunity! We invite our nonprofit members that are truly committed to diversity, equity and inclusion to reevaluate their employee benefits by considering a first dollar coverage plan and Association Retirement Plan.

Choose from one of the sessions below:

• November 30, 2021 | 1:00 – 1:45 pm
• December 17, 2021 | 1:00 – 1:45 pm (registration under the “December” section of the calendar near the bottom of this page)

What is first dollar coverage? 
Experience no upfront costs to go to the doctor – like copays or deductibles – for any in-network covered service. The plan pays for medical appointments, hospitalizations, prescriptions, and a variety of other in-network medical expenses first as well. Without first-dollar coverage, many people delay seeking care when they need it or avoid care altogether, putting themselves in danger of future health and financial crises. 

Association Retirement Plan
The nonprofit retirement plan space has typically had plans with higher costs and restrictions compared to corporate plans.  The Center for Nonprofit Advancement’s Association Retirement Plan levels the playing field by allowing nonprofits to receive expert guidance, outsourced fiduciary liability, and access to institutional investments while also having reduced cost. 

Who should attend?
CEOs, CFOs, HR leaders and nonprofit leadership involved in employee benefits purchasing.

Why should you join the conversation?

1. Reduce your employer sponsored benefits costs.
2. Experience a better health plan design with first dollar coverage.
3. To upgrade your employees’ benefits to retain, attract and care for your workforce.

Registration fees: Registration is free for all HAND members.

Clean Energy DC is the District’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at least 50% below 2006 levels by 2032. In order to achieve this goal, the District must retrofit a significant portion of existing buildings to increase their efficiency and reduce their fossil fuel reliance. With these targets in mind, HAND and the National Housing Trust (NHT) are pleased to continue its series of stakeholder convenings on DC’s new Building Energy Performance Standards (BEPS). In 2019, HAND & NHT started bringing together our members and partners to discuss the potential impacts of BEPS on affordable housing and develop implementation recommendations for the DC Department of Energy and the Environment (DOEE). In order to keep up with the new standards and meet the Clean Energy DC goals, many of our members have expressed the need for technical, financial and other forms of assistance. Join us on December 1, 2021 as we continue this important dialogue and learn more about the new Retrofit Accelerator. Designed specifically to support affordable housing owners with BEPS compliance, you don’t want to miss out on this informative session! Register today to learn how you and your organization can continue the work of creating more energy efficient and sustainable communities across our region.

Confirmed Speakers:

Patrice Brooks  Account Manager DCSEU	Emily Curley Commercial Energy Program Manager Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection	Michael Feldman-Wiencek Green Building + Housing Affordability Program Analyst DC DOEE	Annie Ratanasim Sustainability Director DC Green Bank

Registration fees: Free to current HAND Members; Non-Member Fee: $75.

The Washington region has one of the nation’s highest rates of unhoused residents, a crisis that has only been exacerbated by this pandemic. Generations of systemic housing discrimination through redlining, racialized zoning and covenants, subprime mortgages, and disinvestment in black and brown communities coupled with high housing costs and a severe shortage of affordable housing are significant drivers of housing instability. To adequately address our affordable housing crisis, the region needs to produce 374,000 net new housing units between 2015 and 2030, 77% of which should be affordable to middle- and low-income households. Join WRAG, HAND and the Greater Washington Community Foundation for a dialogue on an integrated vision and approach to achieve racial and economic housing equity. An approach rooted in accountability, equity, and alignment of the public, private, and social sectors who all have a role in addressing this challenge. 

HAND created a one-of-a-kind platform, the Housing Indicator Toolkit (HIT), to hold all of us accountable to the latest information on housing production across the region and a comparison with established local housing targets across ten jurisdictions. In addition to tracking development of new affordable housing units, the HIT underscores the policies and investments jurisdictions must employ if they want to be successful in meeting their respective targets.   

Register today for this dynamic convening of change agents committed to reaching established regional housing goals through shared partnership.  

Industry Practitioners & Elected Officials

Housing Indicator Tool Demo

LaToya Thomas Housing Indicator Tool Policy Director HAND

Panel I: Public Commitments to Meet the Washington Region’s Affordable Housing

Ruth LaToison Ifill President & CEO WRAG (Moderator)	Heather Raspberry Executive Director HAND (Moderator)
Council Member Derrick Davis Prince George’s County Council	Christian Dorsey  Vice Chair, Arlington County Board;  Board of Directors Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments	Council Member Robert White District of Columbia Council; Chair, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Board of Directors

Panel II: Private Sector Investments and Partnership with Communities to Meet Housing Needs and Shape Community Development

Ruth LaToison Ifill President & CEO WRAG (Moderator)	Heather Raspberry Executive Director HAND (Moderator)

Monica Mitchell Vice President Community Development Wells Fargo	Jennifer Olney Community Investment Officer Partnership to End Homelessness Greater Washington Community Foundation	Maia Shanklin Roberts Incoming Vice President of Real Estate Development Preservation of Affordable Housing

Registration fees: This event is free and only open to current WRAG & HAND members. 

One major area where health inequities still exist in the workplace is in employer-sponsored health benefits plan design. Traditional insurance plans—premiums, copayments, deductibles and coinsurance—frequently create barriers to care. They can also exacerbate inequities in healthcare by inhibiting the use of services – such as primary care – that benefit health and wellbeing. HAND is pleased to partner with The Center for Nonprofit Advancement, VitalHealth and The Capital Group to announce a special opportunity! We invite our nonprofit members that are truly committed to diversity, equity and inclusion to reevaluate their employee benefits by considering a first dollar coverage plan and Association Retirement Plan.

Choose from one of the sessions below:

• November 30, 2021 | 1:00 – 1:45 pm (registration link is above, under the “November” section of the calendar)
• December 17, 2021 | 1:00 – 1:45 pm

What is first dollar coverage? 
Experience no upfront costs to go to the doctor – like copays or deductibles – for any in-network covered service. The plan pays for medical appointments, hospitalizations, prescriptions, and a variety of other in-network medical expenses first as well. Without first-dollar coverage, many people delay seeking care when they need it or avoid care altogether, putting themselves in danger of future health and financial crises. 

Association Retirement Plan
The nonprofit retirement plan space has typically had plans with higher costs and restrictions compared to corporate plans.  The Center for Nonprofit Advancement’s Association Retirement Plan levels the playing field by allowing nonprofits to receive expert guidance, outsourced fiduciary liability, and access to institutional investments while also having reduced cost. 

Who should attend?
CEOs, CFOs, HR leaders and nonprofit leadership involved in employee benefits purchasing.

Why should you join the conversation?

1. Reduce your employer sponsored benefits costs.
2. Experience a better health plan design with first dollar coverage.
3. To upgrade your employees’ benefits to retain, attract and care for your workforce.

Registration fees: Registration is free for all HAND members.

As community development professionals, many of our organizations are in the business of serving low-income individuals and families, but many of us have never experienced firsthand the challenges that our neighbors – who are in large part communities of color – navigate on a daily basis. In the first session, HAND invites you to participate in United Way of Central Maryland’s 30|30 Experience. This 90-minute online session reveals why so many hardworking people can’t make ends meet. Participants in this immersive experience will assume the identity of a low-wage earner with a family, and make 30 decisions over 30 days—decisions that will affect you and your household. 

For those who haven’t experienced financial hardships firsthand, this can be helpful in understanding the difficult obstacles and choices vulnerable families face every day. This experience illuminates just what they’re up against—and what community members and stakeholders are doing to help.

Confirmed Speaker:

Crystal Lynese Walker Founder & Principal Consultant  Crystal Clear Consulting

Registration for this series is closed.

Learn More

Are you a new HAND member who wants to learn how to maximize your membership? Or maybe a longtime member who needs a refresher on membership benefits? If you answered “yes,” to either of those questions, we’re here to help! Join us for our next Quarterly Member Power Hour, where you can learn all about HAND’s offerings, the best way for you and your team to plug in, and connect with other members. All members are welcome! If you have any questions you’d like for us to cover specifically, please email them to Courtney Battle at cbattle@handhousing.org. We look forward to you joining us!

Registration fees: This event is free.

Building on the content of the second session, Making Racial Equity a Reality in America’s Hypersegregated Cities will bring these important conversations to a more local level, examining the communities in our own backyard.

Starting with a rapid overview of the legacies of urban apartheid in Richmond, Washington DC, and Baltimore, Dr. Brown will discuss how housing and neighborhoods are co-constituents of the ongoing legacy of hypersegregation.  With this backdrop in mind, Dr. Brown will cover the five steps that are needed to make racial equity a reality in housing, neighborhoods, and cities.

Dr. Lawrence T. Brown is an equity scientist, urban Afrofuturist, and author of The Black Butterfly: The Harmful Politics of Race and Space in America.  He is currently leading the Black Butterfly Rising Initiative and serving as a research scientist in the new Center for Urban Health Equity at Morgan State University.

Confirmed Speakers:

Dr. Lawrence Brown Equity Scientist; Urban Afrofuturist & Author of The Black Butterfly: The Harmful Politics of Race and Space in America	Crystal Lynese Walker Founder & Principal Consultant  Crystal Clear Consulting

Registration for this series is closed.

Learn More

• Resident Service Coordinators
• Resident Service Managers
• Resident Relations
• Resident Service Specialists

In recent years, we’ve seen the fight for clean water in Flint, Michigan, clean air in the South Bronx’s Asthma Alley, and an end to the urban oil fields in Los Angeles linked to dangerous birth outcomes – just to name a few.  On a local level, we’ve also seen expanded heat islands, record rainfalls, and worsening air quality. In order to successfully navigate the climate crisis, we cannot simply make a switch to renewable energy sources. We must also undo the consequences of environmental racism. 

Released in August 2018, Clean Energy DC is the District’s proposal to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at least 50% below 2006 levels by 2032 while increasing renewable energy and reducing energy consumption, as directed by the Sustainable DC plan; and to put the District on a path to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, a goal announced by Mayor Bowser in December 2017 in recognition of the importance of local action to achieve the Paris Agreement goal to limit the global average temperature increase to 1.5°C. The Sustainable DC plan’s direction to reduce energy use, increase renewable energy, and reduce GHG emissions proposes a framework for decarbonizing the District’s energy system that is ultimately designed for the city to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. HAND applauds the District and its surrounding jurisdictions for prioritizing our climate crisis, but we must also be prepared to address the direct impacts to the communities we serve.

In alignment with our commitment to centering racial equity in all of our activities, HAND recognizes the importance of the intersection of the climate crisis and racial inequities. People of color disproportionately experience environmental hazards, because of a systemic approach to placing these populations in close proximity to polluting facilities and infrastructure (e.g. power stations, plastics plants, methane gas pipelines and major highways) and the lack of investment in communities to protect residents from climate change impacts like extreme heat waves. The policies and programs that put them there ultimately expose them to harmful pollutants at a higher rate, increasing rates of cancer, lung conditions, heart attacks, asthma, low birth weight and high blood pressure. In order to truly create thriving, prosperous communities for generations to come, we must commit to creating healthier and stronger housing and infrastructure for everyone. 

We must also ensure that the transition to a clean energy economy does not create new harms for under-resourced communities or reinforce structural inequality. Climate policies and programs should be implemented in a way that increases, not reduces, housing affordability and provides greater access to job opportunities for our region’s marginalized residents.

We invite you to join us for HAND’s Environmental Justice Affinity Group! Register today for our kickoff meeting on March 23 (12-1:30 pm) followed by a series of quarterly meetings where you’ll have an opportunity to discuss the intersection of housing/community development and racial equity, policy updates, challenges you are experiencing in this space, best practices, and solutions to create more sustainable and equitable communities. Participants can look forward to convening with colleagues in the same space across the HAND network and learning from a curated selection of experts. 

Who can attend? All HAND members who work at the intersection of housing and energy and sustainability, including but not limited to:

• Policy Staff
• Energy & Sustainability Staff
• Community Engagement Staff
• Architects
• Project Managers
• Government Agency Staff
• Asset Managers
• Property Managers

Monica Warren-Jones Director, Strategic Initiatives Enterprise Community Loan Fund (Moderator)	Sasha-Gaye Angus President & CEO MANNA, Inc.	Jonathan Frederick President & CEO Alexandria Housing Development Corporation	Ikeogu Imo Senior Vice President of Multifamily Lending and Neighborhood Investments DC Housing Finance Agency
Fernando Lemos Executive Director Mi Casa	Mercedes Martinez Property Acquisition Committee Chair Douglass Community Land Trust	Stephanie  Prange Proestel Deputy Director Housing Initiative Partnership	Noemi Rivera  Director of Real Estate Development Habitat for Humanity of Northern Virginia

Registration fees: Free to current HAND Members; Non-Member Fee: $75.

Confirmed Speakers:

Jeff Chang Senior Advisor Race Forward	Crystal Lynese Walker Founder & Principal Consultant  Crystal Clear Consulting

Registration for this series is closed.

Learn More

Chuck Bean Executive Director Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments	David Bowers VP, Mid-Atlantic Market Leader & Sr. Advisor  Faith-Based Development Initiative Enterprise Community Partners	Catherine Buell Head of Community Development Amazon in the Community	Vicki Davis Managing Partner & Co-Founder Urban Atlantic	Leah Hendey Principal Research Associate The Urban Institute
Jimmie Jones Community Development Manager Truist	Ruth LaToison Ifill President & CEO Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers	Monica Mitchell Vice President of Community Development Wells Fargo	Heather Raspberry Executive Director HAND	Carmen Romero President & CEO Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing
Steven Segerlin Program Manager for Real Estate  Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority	Maia Shanklin Roberts  Vice President of Real Estate Development Preservation of Affordable Housing	Peter Tatian Senior Fellow The Urban Institute	LaToya Thomas Policy Director, Housing Indicator Tool HAND

Regional Leadership
HAND recognizes that there are unique nuances across jurisdiction lines. These officials from across our region will drill down on updates from their individual jurisdictions, and share how HAND members can best partner with them to create and preserve affordable housing. 

Christian Dorsey  Vice Chair Arlington County	John Falcicchio Deputy Mayor  District of Columbia	John Foust Board of Supervisors Fairfax County	Phyllis Randall Chair, Board of Supervisors Loudoun County	Angie Rodgers Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Prince George’s County	Vandana Sinha Editor-In-Chief  The Washington Business Journal

Racial equity has risen to a level of national conversation that many of us could not have predicted. Dating as far back as slavery, we have lived within this structure that is rooted in an ideology that black, indigenous, and people of color are inferior to other races. This systemic racism has bled into our very way of life – even down to housing. Redlining, racialized zoning, subprime mortgages, and disinvestment in black and brown communities are just a few of the ways in which this system has created barriers to opportunity over the course of decades. It is no coincidence that these same communities have historically experienced underfunding in their school districts, segregation and overcrowding, among other inequities.

In alignment with our continued work of centering racial equity in all of our activities, HAND is pleased to join its partners in presenting A Conversation About Truth, History and the 1619 Project. In collaboration with the University of Maryland College of Arts and Humanities, and the Colvin Institute of Real Estate Development, this powerful conversation will feature Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones. Guests can look forward to a dynamic conversation exploring how her research can be leveraged to create more equitable outcomes in our communities.

Registration fees: This event is free and open to HAND members, UMD’s students & faculty, and the community with limited availability.

Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS), the Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), and HAND in collaboration with state and local partners are excited to announce Northern Virginia’s first Supportive Housing Institute starting this August 2022.

This is an exciting opportunity for supportive service providers, housing developers, and property/asset managers to receive over 10 days of practical training and individualized technical assistance on developing supportive housing in the Northern Virginia region (Loudoun, Arlington, Prince William, Fairfax/Falls Church, and Alexandria). Additionally, each project team participating in the Institute will have access to up to $300,000 in grant funding to help support the successful initiation and development of high-quality supportive and affordable housing. 

Please join HAND, CSH, and DBHDS for an informational session on May 18th from 3-4pm. This session will provide more details on the Institute structure and how to apply. Applications (to be released soon!) for the Institute will be due June 30, 2022.

Registration fees: This event is free and only open to those working in the Northern Virginia region (Loudoun, Arlington, Prince William, Fairfax/Falls Church, and Alexandria). We highly encourage both HAND members and Non-HAND members to attend. 

This June will make three years since HAND members have come together in-person for our annual conference. In spite of our physical distance from each other, we continue to serve our collective as a CONVENER, EDUCATOR and ACTIVATOR with a robust slate of educational forums and policy activations designed to drive impact across the region and opportunities for our members to cultivate lasting partnerships. After much consideration on how to safely convene in person, we invite you to reimagine our annual conference. Homecoming in the Park is a return to HAND’s annual event…with a twist.

Each year, institutions across the country honor the tradition of Homecoming. From the football game to the tailgating, this is a special time for students and alumni to celebrate and be in the company of friends. We welcome you to experience our own version of Homecoming, featuring our signature Housing Expo and HAND awards, and programming showcasing our region’s Historically Black Colleges & Universities and their impact on our communities. We are thrilled to honor HAND’s commitment to racial equity with an ode to the institutions that have provided opportunity to people of color for hundreds of years. Plus you can still count on opportunities to connect with fellow members, great food (we’re lighting up the grills!!), and the inspiration that feeds our drive to create more equitable outcomes across our region. Put on your favorite homecoming tee and register TODAY! 

We can’t wait to welcome you home!